I came downstairs this morning to the usual tasks that always await.  The morning was cool, and the house was quiet.  Certain Man, who gets up at 4:30 to have his Quiet Time, had already gone to the chicken house.  There is a 15 minute window around 7:00 when it seems like everything happens at once.  LL’s bus comes, Certain Man leaves for work, Eldest Son leaves for work, and often, Middle Daughter leaves for school.  Youngest Daughter follows a half hour or so later, and then the house is really quiet.  It is a gentle, holding quiet, and there are always things begging for my attention.

Today, my heart is stretched in a lot of different directions.  Youngest Daughter is struggling mightily with Algebra.  I told her this morning that she has a heart to give to her fellow students that is much more important than getting good grades, but it still matters so very much to her.  Middle Daughter called half way through her morning.  “Mom, please pray for me.  There are some really nasty cliques in my class, and I am just really having a hard time with it.”  Our Middle Daughter will withdraw rather than work hard at relationships that hurt her.  I know that she has been taking her lunch and going outside by herself many days to eat rather than face the profanity and immoral talk that goes on.  It is a time for her to regroup and think.  She prays for ways to relate Jesus to these people, and I see that she is making some progress.  She feels things so intensely, and has had some tough situations to weather in these last few months.  My heart aches for her.   Youngest Son is in the “most intense” week of his training.  The staff at the SEND House asked that we pray specifically and often for the REACH’ers this week.  Youngest Son says that it is the week dealing with coming under authority, dealing with unconfessed sin, and coming to freedom.  It strikes me that there is much to pray about for the young people.  (He tells me that his group may be heading to New Orleans for their “practicum” in a few weeks since the previous made plans are not working out.  H-m-m-m.)

And there are other things that sit inside my heart every single day that turn my heart to The Father over and over again, for I know no where else to go.  I am reminded that the LORD’s Mercy to us never fails, no matter what the circumstances, and even as I desire that you would pray for these things, I also know that each of you have things that I could pray for.  This was especially brought to my attention by the following e-mail that I received just before I began this letter.  I share it, hoping that you will take time to pray for this little girl and her family.  It was from Waneta Chaffinch, and she gave me permission to pass it on.

I just heard from a former co-worker.  One of her
present co-worker’s daughters, 16 month old Aliyah,
got ahold of her grandmother’s morphine and is in a
coma and on life support in Christiana Hospital. Her
11 year old sister found her on the bathroom floor and
called 911. The doctors give her a 1% chance of making
it.  Apparently, the little girl was down for a nap,
so the grandmother thought, when she toddled into the
bathroom and found a “lolipop” in the trashcan.  It
was a berry flavored morphine lollipop for a cancer
patient. The grandmother hadn’t let anyone know how
bad things were, or something like that. They need a
real miracle.  We’ve got a miracle working God, let’s
get together to ask him on their behalf. thanks-Waneta